Survival Guy’s Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season

“We’re initiating the hurricane protocol,” he said. “We’ll have your boat out by tomorrow morning.”

“OK, great, thanks,” I said.

And that’s how the call from Your Survival Guy’s boatyard went yesterday.

No ifs, ands, or buts about it. If there’s a chance this Cat 5 Hurricane Lee is going to make landfall, I don’t want my boat in the water.

Here’s the backstory.

Earlier this summer, my boatyard emailed Your Survival Guy with a hurricane and tropical storm boat hauling offer. For a fee, they would guarantee Tom Sawyer would be hauled, secured, and relaunched after the storm passes.

“Done,” I responded. “Sign me up.”

Hey, I’m Your Survival Guy, after all, not some hurricane hunter. I don’t like taking chances. What did you expect?

Because here’s the deal. I know how fast the decision not to haul can change to “I need to get the boat out now.”

When we’re five days out, the thinking goes: “Ah, not a problem, it’s not going to make landfall.”

Then, when it makes a lefthand turn, all bets are off, and it’s a mad scramble like rats on a wharf to get your boat out.

I might miss a day cruising to the Vineyard, but I’ll take the peace of mind over chancing it any day of the week.

Tom Sawyer taking shelter for now.